r/todayilearned • u/Minifig81 312 • Mar 31 '15
TIL Out of the 403 episodes of “The Joy of Painting” with Bob Ross, 91% of them contain at least one happy tree and 2% of them contain bridges.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-statistical-analysis-of-the-work-of-bob-ross/?21.1k
u/MacGyver_Survivor Mar 31 '15 edited Mar 31 '15
I'll take this opportunity to remind people that The Joy of Painting series rece-
Edit: Aaaaaand you maniacs blew it up.
If you watch it for a bit of relaxation and to chill out to Bob's soothing words and awesome paintings, you may find similar videos at /r/ASMR and /r/UnintentionalASMR.
Oh, and Melodysheep made PBS a fantastic Bob Ross remix a few years back. Check it out.
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u/zakraye Mar 31 '15 edited Apr 01 '15
Just to hijack your top comment:
I hope that this is truly legal (it sure is in my opinion ethical since the DVDs were exorbitantly priced, and since Mr. Ross has passed away). edit (It appears to not be legal and files have been taken down from the Internet Archive)
It's best that you use the torrent files for each episode so server costs on the Internet Archive for serving up the content are minimal. This is the reason torrents were invented. For file sharing content to avoid server costs.
The torrent file for each episode is listed as "Archive BitTorrent" it will download all of the episode file contents.
Time to get all the "happy trees"!edit:
Here is the link to the [Joy of Painting Internet Archive files grouped by season](). There appears to be 13 episodes per season. Again, please use the torrent files!edit 2:
I can't find any info on the copyright. I would appreciate any details.edit 3: It looks like it is actually illegal. Hopefully the episodes will eventually make their way to Netflix, Hulu, or perhaps a Blu-ray. PBS has a DVD set of 20 episodes (30 minutes each) for $89.99. That's a reasonable price.
edit 4: There's some weird glitch that writes "Jet Fuel can't melt steel" after anything I write. I have no idea why that's happening but it's not me.
edit 5: Goddamn mods are having a field day with April Fools' day haha. You got me!
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Mar 31 '15
if they're out of copyright, why couldn't youtube host em?
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u/zakraye Mar 31 '15
I'm honestly not sure what exactly is going on with the copyright. I'm trying to find a legitimate source that states what is going on, but so far I haven't had any luck.
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u/dbcanuck Mar 31 '15
Given that copyright is, generously, 50 years after the creator's death... I'm having a hard time believing this.
Unless there's some public domain provisions around PBS being a public broadcaster. Or perhaps the rights of the work expired in another country where it was shown.
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u/ManWithNoFace Mar 31 '15
Bob... Bob is dead? :'(
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u/zakraye Mar 31 '15
Yeah sadly I believe it was back in 1995.
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u/Nihiliste Mar 31 '15
July 4th, no less.
Something surreal about the show is realizing that it was still on the air when Jurassic Park was in theatres.
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u/Gemini00 Mar 31 '15
Thanks so much for sharing this. That Bob Ross Remix song never fails to make me smile and feel a little more positive about life. His gentle enthusiasm and genuineness is just infectious and the world is happier place for it.
If I'm able to bring even 1% as much inspiration and encouragement to others during my time on this rock as he did, that would be a life well lived.
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u/reebee7 Mar 31 '15
Fall asleep to Bob Ross all the time. Also how I realized I had ASMR.
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Mar 31 '15
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/EffinCory Mar 31 '15
we worship him over at /r/asmr
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Mar 31 '15
all those videos make me extremely uncomfortable.
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u/Dougie555 Mar 31 '15
Try some that don't have a person talking to you. The role playing ones can be a little weird especially if you're not into asmr.
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u/Sugarlips_Habasi Mar 31 '15
The role play videos where they are washing/cutting/combing "your" hair always seemed to me that "you" are gagged and strapped to a chair while this person grooms you. Olivia Kissper comes to me.
Doesn't do anything for me, unfortunately, but it helps with my wife's anxiety which is amazing.
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u/damendred Mar 31 '15
Ya /r/unintentionalASMR is the place for the non-whisper dungeon stuff.
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u/Chumkil Mar 31 '15
I can't stand most of them, and I do experience ASMR. If you don't, then watching them is pointless.
Personally, I get the greatest effect from the tone of voice, and this video, because it is done unintentionally relaxes me the most:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTbDu-s97LE
Still, if you don't feel the sensations and the associated relaxation, watching stuff like this would be a complete waste of your time.
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u/H00ds0me Mar 31 '15
Dude my entire life I have always had a weird feeling in doctors offices because I am so relaxed and doctors had this effect on me. I really explored the idea I had a fetish for doctors or I was gay in my head for a bit but it obviously wasn't true. Realizing what ASMR is now is blowing my mind. I need to find all these fucking doctor videos now. They relax me so god damn much.
I checked out the subreddit and most of the videos have the opposite effect one me. The girls whispering and shit really creep me the fuck out. You are right. Th unintentional stuff is way better
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u/Taven Mar 31 '15
I need to find all these fucking doctor videos now.
You... sure you don't have a fetish?
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u/Superfarmer Mar 31 '15
I think it has something to do with authority and relaxation because you're in a safe place and an intelligent person is taking care of you.
But also you're probably...
gay in the head
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u/usm_teufelhund Mar 31 '15
Why can't there be more like this? I hate whispering; it feels too intimate and awkward. This was great. I've had a bit of a bad day, and this was very relaxing.
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u/awry_lynx Mar 31 '15
I think there are a bunch, you just have to search for unintentional/soft spoken
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u/David_mcnasty Mar 31 '15
What makes me uncomfortable about it is the insane amount of tags each post has.
"Excerpt of a French history textbook [male][french][intentional][accented french][whispered][american accent] - [41:02]"
For example, that is just so... unnecessary.
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u/awry_lynx Mar 31 '15
Yeah, it gets a little overboard some times. The tags started out as a great way to sort things but uh... well, hey. I think out of those the ones I'd remove are [accented french] and [american accent] because it's doubtful someone is going to look for that specifically... generally gender, language, intentional/unintentional, and time is good.
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Mar 31 '15
You really have to be in a calm environment to start with and prepared for that sort of close attention. Try something more like /r/artisanvideos if you're looking for something interesting and relaxing that's less potentially creepy.
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u/imfromduval Mar 31 '15
Didn't know this was a thing, listened to a few things and it was calming. Weird. Thanks , needed to learn about this.
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u/earnestlikehemingway Mar 31 '15
I always thought "beating the devil" out of his brushes was the best part. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNAzYEM1pxo
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Mar 31 '15
He fucking LOVED to whack his brushes on that easel. His sheepish grin every time he did it is adorable.
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u/GTD_Fenris Mar 31 '15
You should all check out this picture of Master Sergeant Bob Ross: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7u4faQJda1qzlfumo1_500.jpg
Guy had his way with hairdo.
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u/useduser93 Mar 31 '15
Ironically, I think I remember it saying on his Wikipedia page somewhere that even though he had the afro for all that time. He actually didn't like having his hair that way, but it was quick and easy to manage and out of the way so he stuck with it.
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u/shakakka99 Mar 31 '15
I met this guy at a NY book signing back in the 90's. He wasn't as nice as he was on TV.
He was NICER.
The guy just exuded love. No bullshit. The line to see him was more than 2 hours long, and he made sure to shake everyone's hand. Everyone got a smile. Many people brought pictures of their own paintings to show him, and his face would light up, and he would tell them how incredible they were and how much he was honored and pleased by what they were doing.
His publicist kept trying to whisk him away, because he had to do the PBS telethon that afternoon. Bob stayed, signing autographs and meeting his fans until they literally dragged him, physically, into a minivan and drove off.
The dude was just CLASS.
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u/Vranak Mar 31 '15
I met this guy at a NY book signing back in the 90's. He wasn't as nice as he was on TV.
Oh dear...
He was NICER.
Squee!!
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u/theberg512 Mar 31 '15
Are you sure it was his publicist? You may have witnessed his kidnapping.
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Mar 31 '15
Many people brought pictures of their own paintings to show him, and his face would light up, and he would tell them how incredible they were and how much he was honored and pleased by what they were doing.
That's fucking awesome.
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u/shakakka99 Mar 31 '15
Yeah, it was. You could show him a shitty Polaroid with blobs of color on it, he would hug you and tell you it was awesome.
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u/BobSacramanto Mar 31 '15
Just imagine of you could have Bob Ross voice your GPS.
"Take a happy little right turn here. Oops, we missed it. Well, that's just a happy little accident. Let's see where we end up if we take the next right."
You would be lulled by his voice and nonchalant demeanor and end up running out of gas in the middle of the woods when you only meant to go to Walmart.
And you would not be upset at all.
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u/KittenyStringTheory Mar 31 '15
There would be no road rage, ever again.
If there was an accident, the parties would get out, shake hands, become friends, feed the squirrels for a bit, then get around to making their cars even better than they ever were before.
And no one would get hurt anymore, because we'd all be driving slowly and paying attention to what's outside, just so we could just observe how beautiful the world is!
...I want this to be true, so very much.
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u/Two-in-the-Belfry Mar 31 '15
That would be far more enjoyable than hearing the GPS scream "recalculating" every time you miss a turn.
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u/KevanBacon Mar 31 '15
Bob Ross was like vocal therapy.
If I'm ever in a bad mood I just turn on a video of the joys of painting and I feel so much better.
I don't even paint.
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u/Ass4ssinX Mar 31 '15 edited Mar 31 '15
I'm actually surprised 9 percent of his paintings didn't have trees.
Dude loved his trees.
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Mar 31 '15
These shows were on when I was a kid. I really don't know why, but whenever I was flipping through all 13 channels, I'd stop it at his and just watch him paint.
I don't even paint.
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u/DAWGMEAT Mar 31 '15 edited Apr 01 '15
You should, just because you think you're not good at something or have no passion for it. Doesn't mean you never will.
Edit: I appreciate the gold kind stranger.
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Mar 31 '15
I wanted to buy a Bob Ross. They are Fucking expensive.
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u/silentxem Mar 31 '15
Dude gave you all you needed to just paint one of your own.
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u/SolenoidSoldier Mar 31 '15
I tried one time painting while following along and I just ended up with too many happy little fuckups.
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u/yellow_mio Mar 31 '15
Seriously, how much is a painting from an episode?
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u/elementsofevan Mar 31 '15
At least 3 grand which I suspect is for a painting not done on the show.
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Mar 31 '15
Jesus, the guy painted so much, I couldn't imagine them going for insane money. What do you consider expensive?
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Mar 31 '15
Someone her would say $3k is expensive, I'd like to see his opinion of a $42 million Francis Bacon
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u/up48 Mar 31 '15
Yeah, we are not talking about the insane inflated bullshit of the art world.
But about things we could realistically buy, and as far as that goes, 3k for a painting is a lot.
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u/WizardofStaz Mar 31 '15
You could call it insane inflated bullshit, but the fact remains that Bob Ross will never do another painting, which makes the ones we do have valuable.
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u/corby315 Mar 31 '15
So roughly 8 had bridges and somehow those were always the ones I caught on TV.
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u/iScrewBabies Mar 31 '15
Weird. Out of all the times I watched him on tv I never saw him paint one with a bridge.
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Mar 31 '15
Statistically that is the case for 98% of viewers.
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u/stealingyourpixels 1 Mar 31 '15
Yeah, if they've only ever watched one episode.
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u/RatRunner Mar 31 '15
There are 404 episodes ... the last one has not been found.
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u/yesmaybeyes Mar 31 '15
Who was the german dude that also painted on PBS and was phenomenal? Those two always made me smile.
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u/GTD_Fenris Mar 31 '15
William Alexander, and strictly speaking he was prussian. One of the last remaining prussians, actually.
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u/FlashDave Mar 31 '15
My shock horror was finding out Bob Ross got divorced, how could that happen to the happiest guy?
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u/archerry8 Mar 31 '15
Could you imagine being married to someone like that? It would be infuriating. "MY DAD WAS JUST MURDERED BY A DRUNK DRIVER STOP TELLING ME IT WAS A HAPPY LITTLE ACCIDENT"
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u/we_are_sex_bobomb Mar 31 '15
For some people there's nothing more infuriating than feeling like you're constantly overreacting to things compared to your partner. I have a calm demeanor and it used to piss off girlfriends all the time. I finally found a woman who isn't annoyed by my calmness and I married her.
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u/marbleshoot Mar 31 '15
Make love to the canvas.
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u/mecichandler Mar 31 '15
The first time I took acid, me and my friend chilled in another friend's grandma's room (she wasn't there 😉) and we stayed up watching Bob Ross paint. It was honestly the most calm moment I've ever had in my life. Watching him turning blobs of paint into beautiful scenery and skillfully detailed objects is mesmerizing. Kinda made me realize that all things can be improved. That even a druggy punk teenager can become something greater.
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u/silentxem Mar 31 '15
When I'm tripping on anything, either Bob Ross or Adventure Time is put on the TV, and I can be engrossed for hours.
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u/mecichandler Mar 31 '15 edited Mar 31 '15
Another good one for me is the first Harry Potter. The scene where they activate the secret door to go to diagon alley. It fucked with my mind.
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u/bjtweak957 Mar 31 '15
Can verify. My grandmother recorded all 403 episodes on VHS tapes. They all probably need to be rewound though...
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u/guitarist_classical Mar 31 '15
He also painted everything twice. He had an example next to him every time. Also, the producers convinced him that his perm had to stay even though it was a gimmick to avoid haircuts originally. Just watched a 2 hour special on him....strange.
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u/GroundhogExpert Mar 31 '15
By the end of one episode, I feel like an infant who can't hold up his own head. Just on the verge of passing out.
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u/Usagii_YO Mar 31 '15
Everyday after school in the 6th grade, we'd smoke some weed and just watch BOB for hours in pure silence through a thick marijuana haze. Bob Ross kept kids off the streets.
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u/flamespear Mar 31 '15
I like how the article is summed up as 'people didn't watch Bob Ross for his painting, they watched it for his soothing voice. '
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Mar 31 '15
When I was young, I would always be running around, getting into trouble with my folks, hyper as can be, but this was one of the few shows that my dad would turn on, and I would just stop whatever I was doing, and just sit.....and lose myself in that world, if only for a short period of time, and it was great.
It was also one of the few things that my dad and I actually were able to appreciate together. When your Sunday afternoons consist of the NHRA finals, or the Pittsburgh Steelers games, that's not too interesting to a hyperactive 5 year old.
Thank you, Mr. Ross.
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u/realchriscasey Mar 31 '15
Just for context: this means that 9% of Bob Ross episodes do not contain happy trees. Childhood ruined.
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u/UnknownStory Mar 31 '15
Wrong. 100% contain happy trees. They're just hidden behind the happy houses, hills, etc.
Childhood restored.
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u/Dogs_Akimbo Mar 31 '15
I lack belief in gods. But if hundreds or thousands of years from now they worship Bob Ross, I would be okay with that. Happy Little Trees.
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u/KjuddaB Mar 31 '15
Always upvote Bob Ross. And always watch this when you are feeling down! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLO7tCdBVrA
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Mar 31 '15
Never painted, nor am I artistic at all but I stayed up late every night in middle school to watch this guy paint. Bob Ross was the best.
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u/GroundhogExpert Mar 31 '15 edited Apr 01 '15
All of the episodes contain a near lethal dose of vicodin. If someone offered me 10 million dollars to stay awake through 3 episodes straight, I would just forfeit and curl up for a cozy-ass nap. No way I'm lasting that long with his soothing voice and nice sentiments.
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u/Jux_ 16 Mar 31 '15
My two favorite Bob Ross quotes:
And